Genesis 5

Genesis 5

Genealogy

Synopsis

This chapter records Adam’s descendants, up to Noah. It lists the name of the father, how old he was when he had his first child, and then at what age he died. It then goes on to the next in line, which, I assume, is probably the eldest boy—except for Seth, Adam’s son, who would have been Cain and Abel’s younger brother, I think. But of course Abel was dead, and Cain had been banished.

People get very focused on how long people lived in Genesis, so here are the men listed in this chapter, and the age at which they died:

• Adam: 930
• Seth: 912
• Enosh: 905
• Kenan: 910
• Mahalalel: 895
• Jared: 962
• Enoch: no age listed; verse 24 says “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
• Methuselah: 969
• Lamech: 777

Thoughts

One interesting item is that the chapter lists Methuselah; his name has become synonymous with old age, because he lived the longest of anyone in this chapter. Not much longer, comparatively, but still, the longest.



I’m not sure the significance of the fact that God took Enoch away, instead of allowing him to die like everyone else. I do know that he is mentioned a couple of times in the New Testament:

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5)

and

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 14–15)

You may do with that information what you will.